This is the first time that Network Rail has used ecological measures to prevent graffiti and vandalism. The tree planting at the Bermondsey Dive Under – a junction where one set of rail lines tunnels beneath another – will not only improve the visual experience for passengers and local residents but will also contribute to significant cost savings in cleaning. Over the last two years, it is estimated that the graffiti at the South-East London hotspot has cost taxpayers £150,000 in cleaning and rejuvenation work.

Network Rail’s head of security, route crime, and resilience for the Southern region, Jon Ruch, stated:

“Over the last year or so, our teams have been working incredibly hard to remove more graffiti in order to make the railway a more inviting place for our passengers.”

We spend around £750k per year targeting graffiti hotspots and have cleared nearly 700 sites across the Southern region since the beginning of the year.” Using trees to provide a screen that prevents taggers from repainting is a novel approach that is also good for the environment.

Over the last two years, removing graffiti in Bermondsey has cost £150,000, and if we can stop it, that’s vital funding that we can invest in making the railway more reliable for our passengers.

On Friday, July 1, Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy assisted in the planting of the final tree in Bermondsey with colleagues from across the Southern region.

Sir Peter remarked:

“It was great to be out there with the Southern team planting trees.” The security and sustainability teams collaborated with Keltbray to develop a tree screening solution to prevent future graffiti on our infrastructure. Thank you to everyone who was involved.”

This tree planting initiative is part of a £1 million ecological rejuvenation scheme launched by Network Rail Southern Region in April of this year. Over the next three years, this project will collaborate with national conservation charity The Tree Council to establish planting schemes in Kent, Sussex, south London, Surrey, and Hampshire. The goal of this initiative was to plant 10,000 trees and shrubs by the end of March 2022, but that number has already been more than doubled, with thousands more expected by 2024.

Network Rail has made a commitment to creating sustainability across the UK rail sector, which has resulted in the establishment of 50 new nature reserves, railway sleepers made from recycled plastics, renewable energy solutions, recycling boosts, and the substitution of vegetable oils for diesel fuel wherever possible. The network rails car fleet is also being renovated, with zero-emission vehicles being introduced across the region, beginning in London.

The UK rail industry aspires to dramatically reduce carbon emissions and become more sustainable wherever and whenever possible, with the goal of assisting the government’s plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Tree planting programmes like this one, as well as other environmental initiatives, will aid in taking small, incremental steps in the right direction.